William Whyte residents enlisted to fight crime

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This article was published 15/08/2018 (2092 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Uniformed police officers and cadets connected with residents of William Whyte as they walked down North End streets in units Wednesday afternoon, encouraging Winnipeggers to report crime in the North End neighbourhood.

The Winnipeg Police Service and Addictions Foundation of Manitoba chose William Whyte to launch the expansion of the Make the Right Call project, a community outreach campaign aimed at reducing violence and drug addiction.

Officers went door to door and gave out Manitoba Addictions Helpline cards and brochures that detail how citizens can report crime. They also talked to residents about their community partners: AFM, Gang Action Interagency Network, Bear Clan and Aboriginal Youth Opportunities.

“To enlist trust in anyone, you have to spend quality time with those people and that’s exactly why we’re doing this community education campaign,” Insp. Max Waddell of the organized crime unit told reporters Wednesday.

Waddell said police planned to distribute 3,000 brochures Wednesday to encourage residents to report illicit drug use, illegal firearm possession and gang member activity in the area.

Officers stopped by Jennifer Gorrill’s house to talk to her and her family. Gorrill’s family moved to Manitoba Avenue last month, she said, adding her new address is on one of the most infamous, crime-ridden streets in William Whyte.

“So far, I love my neighbourhood. When I walk down the street, people on the block stop to talk and ask me when I’m expecting,” said the mother of five, who’s pregnant. The 32-year-old said she hasn’t had problems in her new neighbourhood, but it’s reassuring to know police care about the safety of all Winnipeggers.

The latest initiative is, in part, a response to meth-fuelled crime in the area. All Winnipeggers have to come together “in order to overcome the meth crisis,” Waddell said.

WPS data show crime rates in Point Douglas increased more than nine per cent in 2017. After WPS released its latest crime data last month, police Chief Danny Smyth said meth addictions, including the drug’s side effects of aggressive and psychotic behaviour, contributed to violent crime increasing all over the city.

“The violence we see on our streets, in our community, is only a fraction of the violence that is going on inside of the mind and well-being of so many of our relatives (who use meth),” community activist Michael Champagne said.

In order to address violence on the streets, Champagne said issues of trauma and poverty also need to be addressed; that’s why it’s critical community members know about support services.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @macintoshmaggie